Getting Ready for Our Trip Out to California…

April 12, 2013

My husband and I are heading out west in a few days, so I’m rushing around getting everything ready. Today I am washing clothes, just finished up getting my favorite “trip drink” (Fresca Peach – YUM!), and doing some other “fun” types of pre-trip chores.

We are lucky to have our son take care of our house while we’re gone, that way I don’t have to worry about it. (It’s a lot easier for him now that Sprite isn’t here, needing 24 / 7 care.) I am a very committed worrier, so having him take care of our house saves me from spending a lot of time needlessly worrying about things like: Did I turn on the alarm? Did I remember to turn the oven off? What if … You get my point.

We will be driving out to California (from here in San Antonio) making two stops along the way. We plan to visit Fort Davis, Texas our first night, and then on up to Tucson, where we will be visiting the San Xavier del Bac Mission.

Of course, no trip to California would be complete without (almost mandatory) stops: the San Diego Zoo is our first California destination. We are then planning on driving up the California coast, which I am really looking forward to doing. Did I ever mention that I am a lover of missions? I simply love walking through historical places, and missions are probably my very favorite types of places. (Lucky I live in San Antonio!)

There are twenty one missions on the west coast of California, and we plan on seeing several of them. You won’t find us on a bus ooo-ing and aaaa-ing at “the stars” homes, or on a bus going the opposite way, towards Rodeo Drive. Those things simply don’t interest us.

I’m going to be getting our audible books ready for the trip, and want to try a few new authors for both my husband and me, as well as some that we already know we enjoy. More on that later.

Comments

Sounds like a great trip, Danna, but don’t pass up seeing the Sequoia Nat’l Forest southeast of Fresno. Those TALL trees are unbelievable and something everyone should see…so awesome. I love your idea of visiting missions, I’m sure you have checked out the Alamo, lol…just kidding, of course. I’ll be ‘checking out’ my little granddaughters in San Antonio this next weekend so sounds like we’ll both be having a good time!

Cathy, my husband and I have decided that we are going to keep going – until we get tired, a very laid-back schedule. Thanks for the tip about Sequoia National Forest. We had planned to go to Yosemite, but found out we would have to purchase chains for our tires – obviously not something we would ever need in San Antonio. (Both of us have not-so-fond memories of using those things.)

I hope you have a great time visiting your little granddaughters. This weekend’s weather looks good, but Monday’s 93* forecast sounds mighty hot and humid!

This is a good time of the year to follow the mission trail. Once you get out of the heavily populated area, you should be able to see the wild flowers on the hillsides, especially the California Poppy. I recommend Mission San Juan Capistrano and Mission San Luis Obispo (depending on how far north you are going).

Thank you, Sheila. This will be our first “play it by ear” type of trip. We aren’t sure how long we will stay some place, don’t know where we are going (sort of), and are not sure when we’ll want to head back home. It’s a lot different from the times we vacationed while he was working. His (early) retirement has really given us a lot of freedom.

The trip up the coast of California can be very beautiful. My husband and I drove up for San Diego one year to Seattle. It was great fun. Coming from CT, we never realized what a distance that was, but we enjoyed every minute. We like train rides so we have ridden a number of old trains in CO and NM. Enjoy your trip.

Regina, initially, when we started talking about the trip, we were talking about driving from San Diego to Vancouver. But, since we are driving all the way from San Antonio, we decided that would probably take a month >>> which neither of us wanted to do.

Keep Vancouver (and Victoria) in mind for a future vacation. We went there last August with our son and daughter-in-law and loved it. We flew in and stayed a week. Tip: a lot of people rent a car in Seattle and drive from there, but coming back, customs can take up to three hours.

This is such a great time to travel in California, because the wildflowers are starting to bloom. How far north are you traveling? My husband and I went to the mission in San Luis Obispo last fall. They have some really interesting history on the area. Even though it seemed kinda small, but maybe that’s typical, because it still is a working parish. We stay in Cayucos, which is north of SLO when we go, it’s a beach town, and is a haven for antique shopping. (if you’re into that).

Ann, I’m hoping we get as far north San Luis Obispo. I thought I had been there, but when I looked at the missions map, I realized it was San Juan Capistrano. I am so looking forward to these missions!

Sounds wonderful. My husband is retiring on June 1st. Our goal is to travel and view farmland and sites that feature antique tractors. We too spend time before the trip gathering our food, cd’s, magazines, and books for the trip. We also plan our stops around sites that we have on our “want-to-see” list. Enjoy!

Often we find antique tractor museums, shows, or even dealerships that have displays. As long as I have a book, he can look all he wants. We both enjoy history so between the tractors and historical sites, we can stay busy during our trips. KAREN

Karen, after we stopped traveling with our (now-grown) children, I decided I needed to find a “travel theme” that both my husband and I would enjoy. Since he is such a history buff, I thought I would give battlefields a try. to my surprise, I really enjoyed seeing them. (He is also a science buff, I could have gone that route, also. But, I enjoy history as well, so I thought I would start with that.)

I think “theme” traveling is a lot of fun, and it sounds like you and your husband are doing just that: Having fun!

Ironically, I love, love peach Fresca, too (so-o-o-o refreshing). However they stopped distributing it in my area a couple of years ago. My calls to the Coca Cola company didn’t produce any positive results. BUT my solution is to buy the Torani sugar free peach syrup (black cherry is also good) and add it to the Fresca. YUM! Ingenuity at its best!

When “my” HEB decides to no longer carry Peach Fresca, I’ll know what to do! I’ve never heard of “Torani sugar free peach syrup” >>> Is is anything like the Crystal Lite powder mixes? Someone told me that you can put those in soda water, and the results are delicious, but I haven’t tried doing that.

Torani is so much better! It is like a fruit flavored simple syrup that is used to make Italian sodas. You can find it at Bev Mo (don’t know if you have that chain in Texas). Otherwise, try the liquor isle of your grocery or a liquor store. It is non-alcoholic, but is used in some cocktails. It comes in a lot of flavors.

Danna, it’s a syrup (not dry) usually found in the coffee/tea aisle of grocery stores. Many people use it to flavor coffee/tea. World Market usually has the largest selection. They have tons of flavors. In fact, I use some flavors in baking (creme de menthe, hazelnut, peppermint, etc.). If interested you can check out their website – torani.com for a list of flavors and store locators. They claim their syrup was used to create the world’s first flavored latte!

I checked the site and supposedly HEB carries Torani – but I don’t know how good the selection/prices are at that store.

Danna, it sounds like a wonderful trip! I’m itchin’ for our family of 3 to go on a road trip (thinking Route 66) but unfortunately, it won’t happen anywhere in the near future. But, no problem. I’m going to NYC in September with a girlfriend and love the “anticipation” of it all. 🙂

It’s great fun to be free to go and do as long as you please. Isn’t retirement grand?! My husband and I restored a little 1963 “canned ham” trailer and took a journey from California to South Caroline last fall. We had an amazing time and are in the process of planning another adventure!

Danna, hope you both have a wonderful time! It sounds lovely. My favorite vacations are doing just what you are doing: taking your time, stopping at interesting historical sites along the way, enjoying the scenery, meeting interesting people.

Doing the “Mission Tour” is a wonderful way to see California and this is a perfect time of the year as the crowds are smaller now. The mission at Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful and the city retains much of its charm and alone is worth a visit of at least a few days. Taking the Pacific Coast Highway 101/California One north of Santa Barbara shows off some of the most spectacular scenery. If you have never been to Hearst Castle, it requires reservations for the various tours, inside, outside, etc., and the town of Cambria is a lovely place to stay, as mentioned by Ann239. I used to visit often as a long time friend lived there and we always had a special dinner at The Sow’s Ear, odd name but (to me) great food – especially the short ribs – if you do manage to get there split an order for the stuffed mushrooms starter because for one person it is enough for a full meal… This IS a great time of year for the wildflowers however here in my area around Lancaster, we had so little rain this year that ours are minimal. This was supposed to be an El Niño year with more than average rain but the coastal areas got it all. Here’s the web site.http://thesowsear.com/menu.htm

AndieP, thanks for the info about Cambria and Santa Barbara. I visited Hearst Castle way back when you didn’t need to have a reservation to go through it. Of course, it was phenomenal. (I’ve made a note of the stuffed mushrooms at The Sow’s Ear.)

(I see the California Poppy Festival will be in full bloom on the 20th and the 21st of this month. Reminders of your beautiful poppy pictures on your blog site.)

If you get far enough north to hit San Juan Bautista, as you approach from the south you will drive through a grove of eucalyptus trees. This is the same grove of trees depicted in the great Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo where Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak are going to the mission.Of course its Hollywood and in actuality if they were coming from San Francisco as is according to the plot they would not pass through the trees as they are south of San Juan Bautista. Its a fun thing to see places where movies were filmed.

Danna, I’ve been enjoying your site so much! I love how clean-looking and lovely your illustrations are with your posts. I want to suggest that a don’t-miss mission is Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, on the inland side of Oceanside CA just north of San Diego. I went there with my daughter and her family the year after I was widowed and in spite of being a CA native and “mission savvy” didn’t know anything about it at all! It was big, beautiful, with the only octagonal dome and cupola in all the CA missions. Very interesting sights, documents, history, it was amazing!! Very well kept up still in use I believe as a retreat place and for a congregation I think. My parents were students in Santa Barbara and had their first date at the S.B. mission, so I have a fondness for that, but San Luis Rey was much more amazing. Nobody in my family is Catholic, but my grandson very proudly bought me a string rosary and was proud of the “peace symbol” necklace he got me! Lincoln signed document (just before his death) sealed the love of the place for me. Enjoy your trip!

AndreaKPM, how could I skip San Luis Rey de Francia after your write-up?!? I am coloring in all of the “must see” missions that you all have recommended and am really hoping that my husband’s interest in missions holds out long enough to see them all. He’s calling this trip our “Mission: Missions” trip >>> and I’m pretty sure it’s more my dream vacation in that respect!